This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Hockey series.
Friday's eight-game NHL slate begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. This medium-sized slate has plenty of value if you know where to look, and the below recommendations should help steer owners toward success while avoiding potential pitfalls.
GOALIE
Roberto Luongo, FLA vs. SJ ($34): Luongo's been fantastic of late, winning five of his past seven starts while racking up 17.6 fantasy points per game over that span. Included in that stretch was a 35-save shutout win at San Jose, and the veteran netminder could well repeat that effort in this rematch against a Sharks team that's scoring the fourth-fewest goals per game at 2.61. The buy-low window on Luongo is closing, but he's well worth his $34 price here given the opposition.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Cory Schneider, NJ at COL ($31): Schneider's been scuffling lately, with only three wins in his past 10 starts and 15 goals allowed on 135 shots for a .889 save percentage in his past five. While playing in Colorado would have presented a great opportunity to get back on track last season, this year's Avalanche club has been a much tougher matchup. Colorado ranks sixth with 3.26 goals per game and is 8-2-0 at Pepsi Center this season.
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CENTER
David Desharnais, NYR vs. CAR ($10): Desharnais was moved onto the top line in the absence of Mika Zibanejad (concussion) for Tuesday's game against Florida and performed like a first-line center with a trio of helpers. The diminutive veteran should reprise that role here, giving him tremendous scoring upside relative to price at home against a Hurricanes team that New York effortlessly smacked around for a 6-1 win in Carolina on Nov. 22. That game was far from an outlier considering the Rangers have won 22 of the past 26 meetings between these two teams.
CENTER TO AVOID
Brayden Schenn, STL vs. LA ($24): Schenn's been held without a point in his past three games following an eight-game point streak, and won't find it easy to work his way back onto the scoresheet against a Kings team that's allowing the second-fewest goals per game (2.28). Hold off on using this slate's sixth-most expensive center until he gets his mojo back and is facing a weaker opponent.
WINGS
Phil Kessel, PIT at BUF ($27): Kessel's 32 points are seven more than his next highest-scoring teammate and his plus-2 rating represents the only positive mark among Penguins with double-digit points. Judging by those numbers, the 2016 Conn Smythe Trophy snub has once again been the most valuable player on his team despite being priced below two other Pittsburgh skaters and identically to a third. In this favorable matchup with a Sabres team that's allowing 3.36 goals per game, Kessel should be the first Penguin you put in your lineup.
Chris Kreider, NYR vs. CAR ($18): Kreider's potted five goals in his past four games, including a pair in Carolina on Nov. 22. With Zibanejad sidelined for the blueshirts, Kreider's line with Pavel Buchnevich ($17) and Desharnais is New York's best bet for offensive production. Considering the Rangers have scored 18 goals in their past five games overall and 36 in their last nine at home, there should be no shortage of scoring opportunities for that top line.
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WINGS TO AVOID
Jonathan Huberdeau, FLA vs. SJ ($21): Huberdeau's earned his spot as Florida's most expensive skater with 25 points in 24 games, and is still underpriced relative to his production at $21. This isn't the right time to deploy him, however, as San Jose's allowing a league-low 2.17 goals per game.
Jakob Silfverberg, ANH at CLS ($17): Anaheim desperately needs Silfverberg to suit up given the team's rash of injuries up front, so he's likely to tough it out after missing the third period of Wednesday's win with an undisclosed ailment of his own. While the Swede's been hot with three points in his past two games, a lack of reliable setup man coupled with potential injury-related limitations make Silfverberg a weak play against star netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, who boasts a 1.92 GAA and .935 save percentage.
DEFENSEMEN
Nick Leddy, NYI vs. OTT ($20): Leddy's getting on the scoresheet at a career-best rate, as he's already halfway to a third consecutive 40-point season just 24 games in. He'll have a great chance to pad that total further against a Senators team that's been in free fall since getting back from Sweden with an 0-6-1 record and 3.29 goals allowed per game. Leddy's average of 8.4 fantasy points per game is tops among available blueliners priced under $26, and he's primed to provide excellent value once again.
Tyler Myers, WPG vs. VGK ($16): Myers' total of 11 points in 25 appearances doesn't look impressive, but 10 of those have come in the past 16 games. The hulking blueliner's well-rounded game has helped him post a plus-7 rating, and his combination of ability and extensive role make Myers a strong play at $16 against a Golden Knights team playing the second night of a back-to-back. Vegas' 79.7 percent penalty kill is below league average, so Myers' chances of contributing with the extra man look promising given his six power-play points in his past 14 games.
DEFENSEMEN TO AVOID
Kris Letang, PIT at BUF ($27): While Buffalo's allowing the fourth-most goals per game overall, the team's 81.1 percent penalty kill ranks a respectable 13th from the top. That's bad news for Letang, who has scored 10 of his 18 points and his only goal this season on the power play. With No.1 Penguins goalie Matt Murray (lower body) sidelined, Letang's team-low minus-13 rating is at even greater risk of taking on more water.
Jacob Trouba, WPG vs. VGK ($19): Even with his slow start offensively, Myers has posted five more points and a plus-4 higher rating than Trouba in the same number of games. Trouba's lack of offensive upside makes him a wasted pick at $19 most nights, and there's little reason to pick him over his aforementioned teammate.
